Circuit breaker



March 21, 1933. R. c. VAN SICKLE C IRCUIT BREAKER Filed Dec. 9, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l l l l l I I l I INVENTOR ENE/C//fib/ ATTIORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 C IRCUIT BREAKER R. C. VAN SICKLE Filed Dec March 21, 1933.

INVENTOR /am//CT%rzj;l/

ATT'ORNEY MELT Patented Mar. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROSWELL C. VAR SICKLE, OF WILKINSI BURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO 'WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA CIRCUIT BREAKER Application filed December 9, 1927. Serial No. 238,801.

My invention relates to circuit interrupters and more particularly to the closing mechanisms therefor.

One object of my invention is to provide 5 an actuating mechanism for a circuit interrupter wherein the maximum forceshall be exerted at the time when the resistance to closing is greatest. I

Another object of my invention is to pro- 10 vide a .main actuating mechanism for a circuit interrupter that shall be assisted by an auxiliary actuating mechanism at the point of maximum load in the operation of a circuit interrupter.

.A further object of my invention is to provide .an auxiliary actuating mechanism to be connected to the main actuating mechanism by a lever system that shall control the amount of force exerted by the said auxiliary .20 mechanism.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a plurality of actuating mechanisms for a circuit interrupter that shall be energized simultaneously, but that shall be 2 connected .in such manner that the auxiliary mechanism become-s increasingly efi'ective during the closing operation.

In circuit-breaker-closing mechanisms of the ordinary types, resistance to closing is at .30 a maximum when the contact members first come into engagement. This is especially true when the circuit interrupter is designed for carrying large currents, since, in such cases, .a magnetic repulsion will act on the 35 moving member when the contact members are in engagement. In designing actuating mechanisms it has been the practice in the art to design a closingmechanism adapted to exert sufficient force to overcome this maxi- 40 mum closing resistance with the result that .ed, by a threaded section 9, to a link 11.

by to assist the said main mechanism during its operation with a force that rises to a maximum at the time of initial engagement of the contact members.

According to the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a side view, in elevation, of a particular embodiment of my invention in closed position; and

Fig. 2 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1 but showing the breaker in open position.

My invention comprises, in general, an auxiliary actuating mechanism 1, which will herein also be known as a booster mechanism and which is connected, by the lever system 2, to the main actuating mechanism 3which may be of any design. The one herein shown is a preferred form described in Patent No. 1,807,020 issued May 25, 1931, to R. C. Van Sickle and S. T. Schofield, and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, and will not beherein described in detail. The main actuating mechanism 3 includes an actuating arm 4, which is connected to the movable contact member 41 of a circuit breaker 42 having stationary contacts 43. I

The main closing mechanism described in the copending application aforesaid was designed to produce a maximum pull at the time the contact members first come into engagement. When employed to operate circuit interrupters carrying very high current, it was found that an additional resistance to closing Was present. My auxiliary mechanism was invented to supply the desired correctiomunderthe conditions first mentioned, which will now be described in detail.

The actuating arm 4 of the main operating mechanism 3 contains an extension 5 and pin 6 that constitute the means by which the booster mechanism 1 is connected to the main actuating device 3. The pin 6 pivotally supports an eye bolt 7 thathas an elongatedslot 8 therein to form a slidable connection on the pin 6. The eye bolt 7 is adjustably connect- The other end of the link 11 is connected, by a pin 12, to a bell crank 13 that is pivotally connected, at its center, to a frame 15 of the booster mechanism lyby apin The other shown in Fig. 2.

connected bya pin 24, to a link that is piv otally attached, by a pin 26, to a movable core 27 of the booster mechanism 1'. The movable core 27 is slidably contained within a coil 28 and-engages a stationary core member 29 when in closed position. An adjustable stop member 32 on the bell crank 19 cooperates with a projection 33,-when in open position,

as shown in Fig. 2 and is employed to regulate the amount of travel of the movable core 27. Any suitable control circuit may be pro- 'vided for, the actuating coils or solenoids of the main and auxiliary actuating mechanisms, such as that shown in Fig. 1, in which the two coils are placed in series with a bat tery 35 and a control switch 36 by means of conductors 3 1.

Assuming the circuit interrupter to be in open ,position, as shown in Fig. 2, when the control switch 36 is closed, the main actuating mechanism 3 and the booster mechanism 1 are simultaneously energized. The'force caused by such energization of the coil 28 moves the the booster mechanism 1.

3 completes the operation.

core 27 upward, at which time, the force exerted through the bell crank v19, the link 17 and the bell crank 13 isat a minimum because the members of the toggle thus formed are in substantial alinement. l 1

As theactuating lever 4 of the main actuating mechanism 3 is rotated in a counter clockwise direction, the link 11 moves upwardly to turn the bell crank 13 in a clockwise direction, thereby opening the toggle formed between the bell crank 13 and the link 17 and permitting the booster mechanism 1 to exert an increasing force upon the actuating lever 4 until such position in thecircuitinterrupter operation is reached that the contact members 41 and 4:3 become engaged, at which time, a maximum force is exerted by The increase in efiective forceis due to the fact that the opening movement of the toggle referred to increases the ratio of movement of the core 27 to movement of the arm 4 and the circuit breaker 142.. Thereafter, the movable core member 27 becomes seated on the stationary core member 29, as shown in Fig. 1, after which the booster mechanism 1 is no longer effective, and the main actuating mechanism The continued movement of the actuating mechanism 3, after the booster mechanism 1 comes to rest, is

made possible by the movement of the pin 6 in the slot 8 of the eye-bolt 7.

Upon the opening movement of the main actuating member 3, the actuating lever 4 moves in a clockwise direction to turn the bell crank 13 in a counter clockwise direction, thereby permitting the moving solenoid mem: ber 27 to drop until the stop member 32 comes into engagement with the projection 33,- at; which time, the stop 22 of the link 17 comes into engagement with the stop member 21 of the-bell crank 13 to prevent thepin 16 from travelling 'over-center. In this position,the booster mechanisml isoncemore in a position .to be operated.

It will thus be seen that I have invented a booster mechanism for a main actuating mechanism that is designed to apply an increasing force to the said main actuating mechanism, which force is at a maximum at the time the contact members of'the circuit interrupter become engaged. This is the position of maximum closing load and thereafter the booster mechanism ceases to be effective so that the remainder of the closing operation will be accomplished without the slamming that has heretofore been present in similar actuating mechanisms.

It is to be understood that such changes in the form, arrangementfand connection of parts of my inventionmay be made as shall fall within the scope of the appended cl aims I claim as my invention: 7

1.-The combination with an operating mechanism, of a booster mechanism, and a lever system joining the two mechanisms comprising a toggle for controlling. the efl'ec tive force of the said booster mechanism.

2. The combination with a main actuating deviceand an auxiliary actuating devic 'of means for uniting the two devices comprising a bell crank and a pair of levers, the onelever and an arm of the bell crank forming a toggle that increases the e'iiective force of the auxiliary device to exert a maximum effect at a predetermined point during the operation of the main device.

[3. The combination with a main and an auxiliary actuating device, of means for uniting the two devices comprising a lever system embodying means for increasing the effective force of the auxiliary device from substantially zero at the beginning of, to a maximum at a predetermined point during the operation of the main device.

4. The combination with a main and an auxiliary actuating device, ofmeans for operating the said'two devices simultaneously,

means for uniting the two devices compris ing a lever'system embodying means for in; creasing the effective, force of the auxiliary "device from substantially zero at the beginning of, to a maximum at a predetermined point during the operation of the main dev1ce.

5. The combination with a main and an auxiliary actuating device, of means for uniting the two devices comprising a lever system embodying means for increasing the effective force of the auxiliary device from zero at the beginning of, to a maximum at a predetermined point during, the operation of the main device, after which the auxiliary device ceases to be effective.

6. The combination with a main and an auxiliary actuating device, of means for operating the said two devices simultaneously, means for uniting the two devices comprising a lever system embodying means for increasing the effective force of the auxiliary device from substantially zero at the beginning of, to a maximum at a predetermined point during, the operation of the main device, after which the auxiliary device ceases to be effective.

7. In a switch mechanism having separable contact members designed to carry heavy currents and in which a blowout effect is produced when the said contact members touch on closing, an actuating mechanism for operating the separable contact members, an auxiliary actuating mechanism, a lever system connecting the two mechanisms which increases the effective force exerted by the auxiliary mechanism to a maximum substantially at the time the said contact members touch.

8. A mechanism for actuating an operated device comprising the combination of a main and an auxiliary actuating device, and a lever system for linking said two actuating devices together, said lever system being constructed and arranged to increase the effective force of the auxiliary actuating device to a maximum at the point in the operation of the operated device at which it imposes the greatest load on the actuating mechanism.

9. The combination with a circuit breaker having separable contacts, of a closing mechanism therefor comprising a main and an auxiliary actuating device, and a lever system for linking said two actuating devices together, said lever system being constructed and arranged to increase the effective force of the auxiliary actuating device to a maxi mum at the point in the closing movement of the circuit breaker at which the contacts first engage.

10. The combination with a circuit breaker, of a closing mechanism therefor comprising a main and an auxiliary actuating device, and a lever system for linking said two actuating devices together, said lever system increasing the ratio of movement of the auxiliary actuating device to movement of the circuit breaker during the closing movement, to a maximum at the moment the contacts of the circuit breaker first engage.

11. The combination with a circuit breaker, of a closing mechanism therefor compris-' ing a main and an auxiliary actuating device, and a lever system for linking said two actuating devices together, said lever system increasing the ratio of movement of the auxiliary actuating device to movement of the circuit breaker during the closing movement, to a maximum at the moment the contacts of the circuit breaker first engage, and thereafter ceasing to transmit any force from the auxiliary actuating device.

12. The combination with a circuit breaker, of a closing mechanism therefor comprising a main and an auxiliary actuating device, and a lever system for linking said two actuating devices together, said lever system comprising a toggle arranged to increase the ratio of movement of the auxiliary actuating device to movement of the circuit breaker, during the closing movement, to a maximum at the moment the contacts of the circuit breaker first engage.

13. The combination with a circuit breaker, of a closing mechanism therefor comprising a main and an auxiliary actuating device, and a lever system for linking said tWo actuating devices together, said lever system comprising a toggle arranged to increase the ratio of movement of the auxiliary actuating device to movement of the circuit breaker, during the closing movement, to a maximum at the moment the contacts of the circuit breaker first engage, said lever system thereafter rendering the auxiliary actuating ineffective to apply any force to the circuit breaker.

1 1. The combination with a circuit breaker, of closing mechanism therefor comprising an actuating device, and a lever system for connecting the actuating device to the circuit breaker, said lever system including a toggle arranged to increase the ratio of movement of the actuating device to movement of the circuit breaker during the closing movement to a maximum at the moment the contacts of the circuit breaker first engage.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto sub- .scribed my name this 5th day of December ROSWELL C. VAN SICKLE. 

